Knoxville, Tenn. – To put an alligator to sleep, rub its belly (assuming you can get a hand past the teeth).

The Florida Gators’ abdomens have been kneaded again.

Perhaps coach Billy Donovan should don a cheerleader’s skirt, grab a megaphone, paint his chest orange and blue and bare it for Florida’s final regular-season game Sunday against Kentucky.

The defending national champions need some serious supporting stimuli.

That NCAA heavyweight title rematch between Florida and Ohio State – in basketball to follow the football game – doesn’t seem so probable anymore.

Tennessee rubbed it in Tuesday night as the Gators trailed by as many as 27 points.

In the hotel lobby Tuesday afternoon, Donovan acted carefree with an interloper from Denver. Later, though, he and his stomach were upset. The coach said he didn’t want to give excuses for Florida’s third double-digit defeat in the SEC, then he gave excuses – fatigue, a letdown after the team clinched the conference’s East Division, poor shooting and porous defense, but “when you come up with those things, it creates more complacency. We need to play better to reach our potential.”

Florida had won 17 games in a row, but the enthusiasm has gone missing. In their three recent losses (five for the season), Florida has fallen behind at halftime by eight, 15 and, finally, 19.

Peyton Manning addressed the Tennessee players before the game; a few days ago Tony La Russa addressed the Florida players. Make of that what you will.

The Gators did have the best shooting percentage in the country, but have skidded. Maybe it’s because opponents are forcing the Gators to start their offense beyond the 3-point arc, and the Florida defense is leaking like the Nuggets. Too many drives, too many layups.

Two weeks ago the Gators were slam dunks for a top seed in their part of the world. Unless they win the SEC tournament, they’ll end up a No. 2 in another section of the country.

This was a team that chose to stay and play together in an attempt at back-to-back NCAA championships. Joakim Noah probably would have been the first pick in last year’s draft. Al Horford and Corey Brewer also would have been chosen in the first round.

If Noah comes out this year, he will have suffered Matt Leinart Disease, dropping several slots in the first round. Brewer, 6-feet-9 with range, could have the best pro career of the current Gators.

Dick Vitale – not the face of, but the mouth of, college basketball – did the telecast of the Florida-Tennessee game, but was not Donovan’s favorite person among the 27,000 in the arena. Vitale apparently didn’t know he was live on a Knoxville radio show when he said to friends at a restaurant: “Billy Donovan grabbed me all alone and said the pro scouts are making a mistake. He said there’s no way I would take Noah over – he said he would never say that publicly – over Horford.”

An hour later Vitale claimed he was kidding. On Wednesday he called Donovan to apologize.

I, of course, had to jump into the fray. When Donovan walked over to me in the hotel Tuesday afternoon, I said, “(Tennessee coach) Bruce Pearl told me he has three players who will be drafted before any of your players.”

Donovan said: “Uh.”

“I’m just kidding around.”

When I informed Pearl later in the afternoon what I had said to Donovan, Pearl said: “Don’t get me into trouble. He has three NBA first-rounders.”

Pearl, who has turned the Tennessee program from swine to pearls (21-9 this year, 16-0 at home), said the coach who had mentored him the most when he took over at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and reached the Sweet 16 was George Karl. “George was a great coach with the (Milwaukee) Bucks, and he didn’t have to talk to me. But he helped me more than anybody else.”

The men’s team has made the women’s team proud at Tennessee. Pat Summitt, who has won more games than any other college coach, male or female (940), said on Tuesday: “I’m doing something tonight I’ve never done as a coach. I’m going to show my legs.”

She emerged from the tunnel during the first timeout in a cheerleader’s outfit and sang the school’s fight song, “Rocky Top.” She was returning the favor to Pearl, who shocked the nation when he cheered on the women’s team, with his face and chest painted orange.

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